Four tiny kittens found dumped and dehydrated in a cardboard box in Winnie-the-Pooh’s wood have been nursed back to health.

The four-week-old kittens were born with stumpy tails, and would not have survived long in the wild.

They were spotted by a dog walker and rescued last month from Ashdown Forest in Sussex, famous as the setting for the Winnie-the-Pooh stories.

Kittens abandoned in Ashdown Forest
One of the four kittens who were rescued from a cardboard box (Cats Protection/PA)

They are now in the care of Cats Protection, and have been named Karen, Keith, Keiran and Kiri.

Richard Howard, corporate partnerships manager at Cats Protection, said: “This was a truly sad case, where four defenceless kittens had been dumped in a cardboard box.

“It’s so incredibly lucky they were found, as they would not have survived much longer.

“The team at our National Cat Adoption Centre have done an amazing job caring for them, helping them to recover and giving them the love, care and attention they need. ”

Purina has supported Cats Protection for the last 37 years and this month donated £100,000 to the charity, to fund the equivalent of one million cat meals.

Mr Howard added: “We’re so grateful to Purina, our long-term partner, for helping us ensure kittens like these get all the help they need to recover. This donation will go a long way in ensuring that cats and kittens will have the nutrition they need.”